Not Taking ‘Bull By The Horns’: Pope Leo spurns pleas to condemn bloody pastime of bullfighting
Not Taking ‘Bull By The Horns’: Pope Leo spurns pleas to condemn bloody pastime of bullfighting
Animal rights groups are reminding Pope Leo of the historic decree ‘De Salute Gregis Dominici’, promulgated by his predecessor Pope Pius V on Nov. 1, 1567, which automatically excommunicated anyone who supported or attended a bullfight. The edict, which denounced bullfights as constituting “cruel and base spectacles of the devil and not of man,” also denied burial to those who died fighting bulls. The Spanish Episcopal Conference, known for its penchant for meddling in political affairs and outspoken on other issues of social justice, has also opted to keep silent on the issue of bullfighting. Ignoring pleas from animal rights […]
Good Samaritan Law: Advocates who rescue animals in grave danger should qualify for ‘necessity defense’
Good Samaritan Law: Advocates who rescue animals in grave danger should qualify for ‘necessity defense’
The ‘necessity defense’ essentially excuses an offense because averting a greater harm justifies committing this lesser harm. Often, the crime being excused is a property-based one, such as trespass. The legal statute requires the defendant acted in an emergency to prevent a significant bodily harm or evil to himself or herself or “someone else.” It doesn’t say that it has to be another human. When we think about who can experience significant bodily harm — it’s a being who is sentient and can experience pain. There is no reason why that couldn’t be a dog or a horse or a […]
PROJECT PHOENIX: Have we lost our nerve as an animal rights movement?
PROJECT PHOENIX: Have we lost our nerve as an animal rights movement?
Is the animal rights movement spending too much energy making exploitation a little less cruel by working for welfare reforms? Welfare reforms can reduce immediate suffering in the short term, while abolitionists keep the vision of freedom alive and expand what society believes is possible. But history shows us: when welfare becomes the main story of our movement, the public starts to see cruelty (not exploitation) as the problem, and kindness (not freedom) as the solution. Our challenge is not to choose between these approaches, but to ensure they reinforce each other – that reforms bring us closer to ending […]
